The MOST POWERFUL GIBSON AMP of the 1960s - TITAN MEDALIST REPAIR & MODS!

The big brother of the Gibson Atlas 50W amp, this is one of only 148 Gibson TITAN Medalist amps ever made. The TITAN was the most powerful Gibson amp of the era, clocking in at 90 watts. The only problem is, for all the potential in these amps, they are poorly executed. The wiring is atrocious and sloppy, the layout of the channels invites noise, the tremolo uses a 0A2 regulator tube and optical LDR, which isn't usually the best sounding tremolo (I much prefer bias-modulating tremolo). This example had already gone through at LEAST three different techs, all doing mods and repairs before me, so this will be a fun one, to say the least. The mods include turning Channel 1 into a Marshall JMP / JCM800 2203 style preamp, turning Channel 2 into something approximating a Fender 6G6 Bassman preamp, and changing the tremolo to a bias-modulating tremolo based on a Fender 5E9 Tremolux.
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#guitar #electronics #repair

[@UncleDoug]

I definitely feel your pain when faced with the heroic repair of a poorly designed circuit. You want to do your best for the customer at a reasonable cost......but some jobs just don't cooperate with our good intentions. As a result, you end up working countless extra hours to provide the type of outcome both you and the customer are happy with......but unless you're doing this as a hobby, it can really be a time and money pit. I salute your efforts and the end result, as evidenced by the fine audio demo. You definitely made the best of a bad situation.

[@TheGuitologist]

I figured you, of all people, could relate. The KZbin element certainly throws another monkey wrench in the mix, because if the end result isn't up to scratch, we'll hear about it. ;)

[@UncleDoug]

@@TheGuitologist Indeed.....every move you make is subject to peer review and if the final audio demo stinks, you're the goat. There is no place to hide when you post amp repair videos on YT, but about 98% of the time it's all worth it.....with appreciative viewers and customers sharing in the triumph over another electronic challenge :)

[@billyclubbandit]

Spot on boss man. Mitzy is adorable.

[@UncleDoug]

@@billyclubbandit Thanks, Joseph, from both of us :)

[@garybartkus6757]

@@TheGuitologist Hey Brad! You are a much loved Amp Mod/Repair guru! (As is Uncle Doug!) You wouldn’t believe how many people messaged me saying “You better have taken care of Brad”. I was like….WTF dude, I was completely up front about the tinkering that was done to the amp and what I ended up paying is between me and Brad. You did an OUTSTANDING job on my amp. It is absolutely killer. That gain channel is a beast but for me the magic is in the clean channel. It is JUICY!

[@garybartkus6757]

Hey Brad! Thank you so much for working on my amp, resurrecting it and making it far better. I can’t wait to get it back, put it in the enclosure and play it! Man oh man! You tore up the demo. Thank you so much for all your hard work, obvious quest for excellence and great results! We’re leaving Austin in a few hours and when I get home the first thing I’ll do is watch the full video! You are one of only a few amp gurus who could get this done properly. You the man!

[@TheGuitologist]

You'd better appreciate this, Gary! I had to steal the tone key from Satan himself here. :D

[@garybartkus6757]

@@TheGuitologist I have lots of character flaws but being unappreciative isn’t one of them! 😜Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

[@TheGuitologist]

@@garybartkus6757 hahaha!! that's more like it! You owe me a demo video when you get it back, brother.

[@nobodynoone2500]

I have the same amp. It is incredible! Hold onto it, you got lucky!

[@MichaelSmith-rn1qw]

Hey Gary, nice amp you got there. Brad really knocked himself out getting it back in working order.

[@MMMRCHPCTB]

Brad, it's great to see you getting back to the basics and making amp repair videos again. This it why I come here. Thank you, and take care!

[@creyflan]

You've made a few really good videos over the years.... but man, as far as a repair/instructional video, you've topped yourself. This is the new bar. Congratulations.

[@TheGuitologist]

Thanks dude

[@adobbs92117]

Seriously !!

[@jts3339]

I’ve never played through a Titan but I have an all original Atlas IV that I purchased new in high school after my Gibson Skylark would no longer cut it. They are GREAT sounding and LOUD amps!

[@paulduque3388]

Greetings Brad, I love videos like this, thank you very much, in fact it was the repair, modification and redesign of amplifiers that captured me and motivated me to follow you. You are great, you are also an excellent musician, thanks again for this fantastic video 👍.

[@rickycompton2610]

Kick ass video Guitologist , what a freaking beast gain for days these old amps that you redo always come out smokin .

[@TheGuitologist]

Thanks for watching, Ricky. Glad you dug it!

[@mark5150ty]

Sounds like a monster👍 I could hear your snare drum rattle in the audio though, some people might think that's the amp making that noise but it's not. This would be a great design for a fresh chassis with a more linear ground layout. It's definitely a beast and the guy should feel lucky that you made this a labor of love. Great work Brad.

[@TheGuitologist]

The snare was even disengaged. Still rattling.

[@daveprentice]

I owned a Titan II in the 60s. Played it with a Harmony Marstone guitar. Wonderful sounding amp. Wish I still had it today. Fun to see one brought to life again.

[@cameroncameron2826]

I'm another guy who knows nothing about servicing & repairing amplifiers but wants to & you are the only guy who has made that seem realistic for me Brad. I think its the way you use a certain type of thought process that makes it feel possible. Anyway i love your channel & never cease to be amazed at the ingenuity & cool situations you get into. Partly the sound you've pulled from that titan reminds me of tones from some of the soldano amps.

[@garymallard4699]

watch Uncle Doug..he explains everything and funny too...

[@theguitarcave9044]

Brad that Gibson amp sounds awesome. Your playing is top notch!!! Awesome repair!!!

[@matthewf1979]

Man, it’s so much fun to mess around with basically a clean slate. I used an early 15 watt Marshall DSL chassis and cab to build something similar to this. I even kept the spring reverb that’s active on both channels. The Marshall side sounds more like a SLO with that 4th reverb gain stage. The cathode follower really hits the last stage hard though. I had to send a lot of gain straight to ground later in both circuits and it still rips your head off! I had to cut the reverb level by 90% compared to the standard Fender levels. If I had used all 12AY7’s it would still had been set to kill. The hardest part was patching up the original chassis holes by soldering in brass plates.

[@TheDevice9]

Very impressive. The dual nature of the amp is actually pretty cool. I don't play that kind of Marshal sound anymore but it really is there in all it's screaming glory, while at the same time the Fender side sounds great, as it should. Very nice tone. I like that the tremelo works with both channels.... I was afraid the Fender side would not have it. btw, you forgot the value of the cathode resistor on the cathode follower. Nicely done Brad.

[@committments]

Brad long time viewer here man and great job! Hope all is well man. I have a vintage Gibson mercury medalist I’m almost freakin done restoring. Ugh!! Spent way too many hours restoring the darn thing. Thank God it’s mine If it was a customer, it would have busted me! Great vids and channel.

[@jonathanstrand2474]

Looks sooo much better, now it’s an amp, immaculate wiring Brad!🙂

[@TheGuitologist]

Dunno about immaculate, but it's certainly better.

[@rchavez2112]

Great presentation! I loved they way you showed us the location of the test probes in a separate window. Nobody else does that!

[@davidflamee]

Over my head but, in a great way. The time and effort here is incredible, staggering, and the results are joyous. Seriously compulsive viewing. Thank you.

[@alfordmyers7786]

Something I learned from a vintage synthesizer tech on testing pots…send a 1 kHz sine into the pot (out of circuit works best) and scope the wiper.

[@nobodynoone2500]

Great tip, I have noticed the same!

[@OldStreetDoc]

Really great of you to take this on, Brad. Especially with all that’s been done/mod’d within it. Made a question come to mind. When you finish this out & send it back to the customer, since you basically redesigned the circuits of the two channels, will you send a ‘new’ or current schematic showing the final results along with the amp to the customer? It always ends up looking like great work when you finish a job like this. And from what I’ve seen anyway, it always looks like an economical job as well. It isn’t as if you’re replacing parts just to charge for them I guess is what I’m trying to say. Which I always appreciate. Love the content. It’s simply fascinating to me. Looks as if they’ll get a LOT of life from this really classic Gibson amp. 👍🏼

[@TheGuitologist]

I do always try to send new schematics with mods, yes. I keep a copy for myself too.

[@OldStreetDoc]

@@TheGuitologist Outstanding. Two seconds after clicking ‘send’ on that, I thought out loud to myself… “Well of course he does, dumbass!” 🤣 Appreciate it, Brad!

[@incredifunk]

@TheGuitologist now THAT'S good thinking.. It's awesome & smart of you to send the new schematic but I hadn't thought of you keeping a copy for your own records.

[@simonkormendy849]

Really amazed at how good this amp is sounding on both of the channels after you finished working on it, all you would have to do is to make an A/B Box and then you would be able to footswitch between the two channels on-the-fly while playing.

[@frankcunnigham220]

That was awesome playing Brad! You can see it in your face when you play.

[@robnic52]

A fab video Brad, the planning, the work, the filming and editing must amount to a lot of hours. The various problems cropping up were really informative, the missing DC blocking cap. The ground loop hum. Sounds great after the PSU ground was separated from the preamp grounding, also losing the ground strap off the pot cans. Thanks.

[@TheGuitologist]

Indeed. This one took a LONG time to complete. The editing took several session to condense probably 7 hours of footage down to what you see.

[@ronnie5129]

Brad, What a Great Fix of A Total Mess Here, The Amp sounds like A Million Bucks Man, What a Great Video, Cousin Figel

[@deplorable9022]

I really enjoy your channel. You are the "Mr. Carlson", of amplifier repair and electronics in my book. Have a Merry Christmas Brad.

[@bobmoore4790]

good job , for sticking in there to get her done

[@DonnTarris]

Well done! I must say, I think having the terminal strips is at least easier to see components rather than Gibson's other method of manufacture - as Uncle Doug called it, linguini on an eyelet board! I'm working on my own Epiphone Embassy amp, very similar to Gibson's GA-95RVT, which had been modded by someone before. I have already mapped out the entire eyelet board, complete with buried components, and managed to rewire back to the Epiphone schematic rather than the GA-95RVT used by the last tech. From there I'm making adjustments to the circuit to improve tone (thank you Uncle Doug!), comparing parts of the circuit that a Dual Showman uses. I have to tell you, when I saw what a mess it was inside, I had almost the exact thought as what you've done with the Titan Medalist here - just use the chassis as a build platform and make an amp that works, with some more modern mods like adjustable negative feedback (current design has none) and a presence control. The way the amp is now, you can turn the "loudness" control on the reverb channel all the way off and still get reverb out with the reverb (send) control... offered up in one YT video as a "feature". I'm attempting to return the reverb just prior to the loudness/volume pot so reverb stays relative to direct signal. The tremolo circuit is the same as what you were up against, and I'm definitely not happy with what it's doing at this point - but not sure if it's performing to spec or was messed up by a previous mod. Challenging work this is, and definitely a labour of love and, for me, a real desire to keep stuff out of closets, recycle or landfill. I'm inspired watching your struggles and then success at building a very expressive and flexible amp that only suffers for the same remaining challenge as mine will... these things are massively heavy!! All the best as we head into 2023!!!

[@jonathanstrand2474]

Dude, you been jamming all right, speedy picking, your right hand is sharp🙂, I love when you play, missed it, you should just do a jam every month! Please😄, you have this cool country rock vibe like bluegrass maybe? Brad you rock!,

[@aronhallam6449]

Yeah he has nice chuck Berry type licks as well

[@TheGuitologist]

I'm like GC's dumpster...I collect all the broken licks I can only barely play and make them my own by fucking them up before throwing them in the garbage pile. I don't know what that means.

[@jonathanstrand2474]

@@TheGuitologist well it’s fun to watch and hear, plus, hearing tube derived gain with a quality guitar is NOT like through a pedal, or at least those without tubes, it’s it’s own special thing, beautiful peals of harmonic feedback. Audible overtones, you ain’t building them from scratch, but you might as well be😅. Great design work. But like I say, it’s obvious you’ve been putting in the time playing, your feel gets better and better each time we hear you!🙂

[@chokkan7]

Kudos on another great vid, Brad. It's always good to see you roll your sleeves up and get into the guts of an amp. I'm loathe to presume to offer advice, but have you considered elevating the voltage of your grounds? Robrob has several good tips about that on his amp page, and you'd only need to add a couple of resistors and an elco off the power supply; 50-60V should do the trick.

[@wrongchordsrecords]

hes having a blast, ive never heard him play for so long ! sounds great , i have the cab ive wanted the head for ages.

[@mike60510]

Thanks for the primer on troubleshooting! I always learn from watching your vids.

[@TheGuitologist]

If you don't own an oscilloscope or dummy load, you can still signal trace in the same general way with a capacitor probe and an external bench amplifier to send signal to. I sometimes even prefer doing it that way because you can easily distinguish between different kinds of noise.

[@anderslinde2030]

Thanks for a great video! The amp looks really nice inside now and it sounds amazing. Looking forward to the next one.

[@timothyb1559]

Outstanding job! Channel one approaches VH1 tone. Channel two is amazing as well. Gibson amps may be a basket case from the factory but they can deliver the goods. I noticed the Blencowe power amp book is in print again if anyone is interested in that. 👍

[@TheGuitologist]

I am actually. I saw that too and need to pick up a copy.

[@timothyb1559]

@@TheGuitologist I was thinking, maybe that clusterbomb of resistors and capacitors they had on the tone stack was a discreet component recreation of the famous Gibson tone sucking package?

[@andrewmiller2868]

I play guitar and absolutely love valve amps and because I don't know shit about amps I keep my fingers well away from the insides of them. Saying that, I find it endlessly fascinating when I watch you talking about amps, components and schematics from the 40's, 50's, 60's etc. and try to get my head around what you are explaining. Thanks for sharing your knowledge Brad. I also have the same reaction to Uncle Doug's videos 😂😂.

[@TheGuitologist]

There are some book recommendations in the descriptions of my videos. My advice, buy a couple of those and you'll catch on more and more as you continue to watch and read. Before you know it, you'll be building and fixing your own amps.

[@andrewmiller2868]

@@TheGuitologist Thanks for that Brad. I think I might just give it a go.

[@TheGuitologist]

amzn.to/2DK5tmt

[@DalHap]

Nice playing Brad. Been a while since I've checked you out. Godspeed Brother!

[@dhelton40]

Looks like this turned into a complete rebuild. Very neat work. Some techs just like to rig it to get paid or just don't care...you will never know how this mess happened. The important thing is it looks good now and anyone seeing this amp will know it has been professionally serviced.

[@gumbomudderx7503]

Awesome video Brad! I’m a few days late getting to watch it but really enjoyed it! I haven’t read threw the comments so I don’t know if anyone else had mentioned it, but the stamp inside, “inspected by 33 6205” the 6205 part, doesn’t that mean 205th day of 1966? I miss my Gibson GA35-RVT, as bad as it hissed and popped. These videos make me want to find another so bad

[@shotgunrebels]

Sounds fantastic dude. You did a great job on that. Wow.

[@fredpriest7962]

Hey Brad again you took a birds nest wiring to a fine looking amplifier wire layout that is a professional looking job. Great job man.

[@TheGuitologist]

Thank you, Fred. I appreciate that. All the bones were there for a really great amp, just gotta chisel down to it.

[@jonnybeck6723]

Prolly redundant at this time, but for NFB loops: Bassman 5D6-A & 5E6-A, Princetons 5E2 & AA1164... I stopped at this point but it occurs that some of the strange places designers and experimenters tied in their loops... (?) Always dig and appreciate your vids. Have you been playing? 👀 (Moon equipped)

[@stevenmelsom705]

I've been watching you for a while Brad. Couldn't figure out why till just now. I play a bit of guitar. Played drums in bands on long island years ago. I'm a 54 yr old Carpenter . I watch you're vids becouse I share you're enthusiasm for well engineered components. You're attention to detail and you're oratory prowess when defining bullshit. Merry Christmas and happy new year. If I'm in you're area I'll stop over for some coffee.

[@TheGuitologist]

Right on, brother. My Granddad was a carpenter and a mason. Maybe a little rubbed off.

[@andrewsmith1520]

Awesome work! I've noticed you play your PRS more often then not. Is that your go-to these days?

[@TheGuitologist]

The PRS just tends to be the one hanging around close by because it can take a beating and easily leans against furniture.

[@metalmig]

Amazing sounding AMP both Channels Sounds incredible ! ! rock On Brad

[@ctcards2636]

Wow what a job ya did on that amp ! :-) Great video, id never even seen or heard of this line of Gibson amps.

[@OkFixer]

145:30 to 147:30.....I was certain I was going to hear 'Dreams of Milk and Honey''. I wonder what those settings with a Junior and a P90 would sound like. lovely, just lovely.

[@Sawdusted-v4e]

I knew a few guys that had Gibson amps, back in the 70's, in their basements, and used them there when they could get them to work. NOBODY gigged with them. Always something would go wrong.

[@lowheadroom]

Thanks to guys like you and Uncle Doug sharing knowledge , I am able to follow along! Also , I can’t believe the amount of NOS pots you got for 60$ . Unreal

[@TheGuitologist]

Yeah, each one of those Allen & Bradley and Ohmite pots are like $20 on ebay. I got probably 100 of em here.

[@lowheadroom]

@@TheGuitologist You have great luck man. I've seen you get unreal tube and other old tech stashes for cheap! You gotta teach me your ways. Maybe I should check Ebay, FB Market, and Craigslist daily. I've started looking for estate sales in my local area, but can't find anything that includes old tech yet.

[@TheGuitologist]

Gotta be willing to just walk away from a bad deal sometimes and wait for a better one. Most of this stuff is getting more rare, that's true, but it's still possible to find stuff in the wild.

[@jasondorsey7110]

@@TheGuitologist I just picked up a first generation EV sro/12 alnico for 100 bucks, stuff's out there if you look hard enough

[@PaulaXism]

Well that turned out better than new. Love the second channel Showman vibe and then turns into a Hiwatt 120 when cranked.. superb. Always stand firm on the 2nd ;)

[@TheGuitologist]

I think I'm more of a Channel 2 man these days also. FROM MY COLD, DEAD HANDS will they take away my Channel 2.

[@jcwear89]

Great content Brad! Loved this video 😃 And congratulations on keeping going until the end!

[@jcwear89]

Also... Great sound demo! Sounds epic 👌

[@Meralain]

Impressive! The Marshall channel sounds great, but that Bassman inspired channel....I like!

[@garyyarago2096]

Damn it sounds good-- and the playing!Congratulations on a job well done, but how is the customer gonna get it back now?

[@liontribegc]

Love the channel. Always learning… So, why not rebuild this to stock specs? ✌️😁✌️ Michael

[@tom1263]

Brad that looks so much better! nice work!

[@tubejoust]

@The Guitologist Brad, when using oscilloscope it would likely help you a lot if you used the other channel to display the input signal as reference and trigger on that one. saves time searching for the trace and gives a very good idea of how its changed. you then need only mess with the levels for the channel scope input. i verified your BK model 1525 is indeed Dual Trace

[@TheGuitologist]

Until now, I only had the single matching probe. I'll probably follow the method you described going forward.

[@thebudgetguitarist9721]

Great video! I learned so much 🤙🎸 also the noodling at the end, just incredible

[@briandonovan9560]

Those NOS RCA bottles certainly help the character of the amp! Really an interesting unique amp.

[@gorlagOv]

That’s a wild puzzle you have there. I’m excited to see what happens I’m 4 minutes in so far.

[@papotorres9064]

Wow , hats off , your are the man , when it comes to this kind of work , I am really thinking of sending your way my Baldwin C1 amp , to fix the vibrato and make sure it's working The best way it can .

[@pihuey]

Brad love your channel and your tenacity when doing repairs. How would one contact you, sir? I had a few questions as you seem to have a bit of experience w- Crates. I have a BV60H I had some questions about regarding getting a good checkup on.

[@pierre-jeancharbonnier334]

U kick asses man!!! I'd love to have you as a teacher.

[@johnfink3641]

hey Brad. In the late 80's and early 90's I bought Strats, LP's and even two Electras. got Traynor Heads and even passed on a Selmer. Back then you stood a reasonable chance but , in my experience, today any "precious finds" are prob just on the other side of the back room wall waiting to be listed.

[@tomdodds3876]

Had several vintage Gibson amps, they had their own charm, but no real long term design plans like Fender, things changed almost annually. still the Titan is way happening ,man !

[@CM-bw9fz]

I used to own this amp head. It's definitely Gibsons flagship amp. 100 watt beast for sure.

[@1969framus]

The pot numbers are Canadian date codes. DJ is manufacture G5 month and year. July, 1965.

[@12askerr]

Incredible save! I know it has to be frustrating basically redesign a crappy circuit and trying to save it. Especially all the extra hours. Sounded killer though!

[@cantyouhearmeknocking1961]

Hey, is a Peavey 6505+ combo amp worth owning? Man, that old Gibson amp was a mess, but it was brought back to glory, and it (and YOU) sound awesome!

[@simonkormendy849]

Hey Brad, what you're seeing on the output of that 12AU7 on the scope looks an awful lot to me like that 12AU7 is going into parasitic oscillation, could be bad decoupling on the power supply to the 12AU7 or maybe the grid needs some shielded wire.

[@JonnySoundSounds]

the amps i just spoke about were left with the " best" amp guy in town he sat on them for a year and a half. he made enough money doing easy stuff for people i assume it wasn't worth his time. i took it as a challenge and when i got them going i felt really good and the customer was ecstatic especially when i only charged him 60 an amp in labor for about 10 to 15 hours of work. he had to pay for parts also of course

[@MoMo-xb7nr]

I love turning your vis up while im messing around with my guitars in the garage. Ive learned alot from you. I bought this book called.. Complete guitar wiring by gerry hayes. Do you own it or seen it? Thanks brad for everything.

[@TheGuitologist]

Haven't seen that book, man. Got a lot of diagrams I guess?

[@sixstringtwangin]

That Mitch Hedburg clip! Haha!!! Escalators can't break, they can only become stairs. Sorry for the convenience!!!😂

[@cigarettesmokingman9471]

I have also thought about different ways of approaching amp repair in terms of giving estimates. If you had gotten the letter about what had been done to the amp (3 tinkerers) and maybe a gut shot (not always possible I know) you would have realized it wasn't just cleaning pots and changing caps. This was essentially a rebuild-this-amp job. I try to get as much info as possible beforehand.

[@zandig666]

This is a classic tale of David and Goliath...I'm gonna grab a beer for this !

[@shartne]

You must be a genius that is awesome you completly redesigned and improve the amp. Mabe shielded wire should be used for grounding? You dont like workiing on these because of so much labor but you learned how to make a killer amp that part is really cool.

[@TheGuitologist]

Shielding a ground is unnecessary. Shielding is usually tied to chassis ground at some point.

[@shartne]

@@TheGuitologist Yes of course. But you said the location of the fender side was too close to the power and I thought maybe shield the wire where its close to the power transformer Or you could make a metal shield for the transformer?

[@TheGuitologist]

OH! Gotcha! I misunderstood. My bad. They provided shields from the factory, but they are to shield the user from the power switch, I think.

[@francisskundaliny1295]

Rock'n rolly,brad!👍🎛🎸🔊🎶🎵

[@brettbunke9096]

Awesome work Brad😊

[@timjones1464]

Man that titan sounds beast mode for sure!!!

[@garyyarago2096]

Your oscillascope is bringing on a "The Outer Limits " flashback.

[@pharmerdavid1432]

There an original WITH cabinet in Knoxville Tennessee (local pickup only), for under $1K. I'd nab that if I lived down there, possibly C10N and C15N speakers in cab!

[@TheGuitologist]

Someone in the area ought to go get that.

[@matthewf1979]

That’s a lot of heavy iron for that price! I wouldn’t play a bass into those old speakers but I sure as hell would play guitar into them.

[@nobodynoone2500]

Great deal. I spent plenty for mine. Per the woofer, I was told it was for jazz licks sounding clean, not used for a bass guitar.

[@garybartkus6757]

The cabinet for the one in the video is at my home. There was no reason for me to ship it to Brad. It is also in really good condition.

[@jamesschenk1963]

Hey Brad that is one killer Gibson thanks for such a kick ass video.

[@carlannerstedt6796]

I had a challenge with a pair off Beveridge speakers , those with a 3200 volt in the electrostatic field, had never seen electronics with positive ground before, this was in Oslo, Norway 1981 or 82. Had zero volts, four 1N4008 parallelled with four 1Mohm, been watching "Uncle doug" for many years, I`m using voltage regulators OA2, OB3 , STV85 and 108 (Telefunken), together with transistors, This amp looks like another nightmare, a schematic whith "sleeping" tubes, looks like a teenager modified it to a "high end HiFi amp". very best regards C. A. Sweden

[@elvisbullets7382]

There were a lot of "Thats what she said" moments in this video. Very interesting and entertaining stuff.

[@joelpearson8310]

Man I really like your videos. I wish I could find a guy as competent as you to go through my amp. What's the best way to find a technician that works on Gibson amps. I'm in central AL.

[@TheGuitologist]

Join some amp forums. Amp Garage is a good one. Ask around.

[@uktmaxx]

do you know much about Jet City amps? my JCA22H has an issue... one of the EL84 power tubes glows brightly like a light bulb on power up... then goes to back to normal within a second... still sounds great thou! thoughts please?

[@simonkormendy849]

Hey Brad, the clipping you're seeing at the output of the tone stack is typical of what you would see in a Marshall amp, so to me it looks normal.

[@TheGuitologist]

Clipping doesn't concern me, but too much or too asymmetrical like it was at points didn't look right to me.

[@simonkormendy849]

@@TheGuitologist A small amount of asymmetrical clipping is considered desirable, and can sound musical, but if the clipping is too asymmetrical it'll sound bad, I've read somewhere that an approximately equal ratio of symmetrical to asymmetrical clipping tends to sound the best, symmetrical clipping tends to produce odd-harmonics and asymmetrical clipping tends to produce even-harmonics which sound pleasing to the ear, the human ear itself naturally produces some even-harmonic distortion, which is probably why a lot of guitarists prefer the sound of a tube amp, but then again everyone has their own opinion on what sounds good, I was very surprised at how good the Gibson amp sounded after you finished working on it, I think it easily sounds good enough for studio recording and gigging.

[@chopperdeath]

You should produce and sell these bad boys to the public. The world needs other amps besides Fender, Marshall and Vox clones.

[@aaronatwood9298]

Implementation of a presence control on a cathodyne is pretty easy. A good model with presence and resonance control with an almost identical pi arrangement "ax7 cathodyne into an at7 gain afterwards" are peavey VB2 and VB3. Takes gain to push 3 or 4 pairs of el34s .

[@vhm14u2c]

IMO That three wire thing with caps and resistors, I believe is a make-shift brightness circuit (initially in a Gibson GA-xx amp would look like a flat rectangle cap with 3 wires coming from it). To get a fender or marshall sound, you won’t need that circuit. That brightness / clean thing was mainly for 50s surf music, but in this situation, would be missing reverb(surf music necessity) so still not a major thing to add.

[@simonkormendy849]

A bit of trivia, Marshall actually based the design of their early JTM45 amps on the Fender Bassman, since guitarists found that the Bassman which was originally designed as a bass amp, actually turned out to be a really good amp for guitars.

[@TheGuitologist]

True!

[@nicoguarini28]

@@TheGuitologist They do sound good on guitar, but I was told bass amps are built to sound all notes a whole octave lower than a guitar amp is set up.Wazup with that true?

[@suzukiyesteryear]

What kinda watts is that beast making! God bless you for reviving it from the hopeless mess it was!!!

[@curtjohansen5742]

Look at Brad shred it up.Fast and clean. I had no idea he was that great of a player.

[@leonthompson8988]

I played through a Gibson atlas bass amp 2by12 piggyback amp in high school in the 70s.

[@BeatlessAnimations]

Are you Nashville based by chance? I have a Peavey mk3 Musician that cracks and pops every now and then.

[@simonkormendy849]

You could have tried re-arranging the grounds into a star-grounding system so that it breaks the ground-loop but still grounds all the circuits.

[@NitroModelsAndComics]

No dissapointments. It rocks.

[@fixedguitar47]

I should send you my amp. It’s a Sovtek MIG 100 with a coffin shaped compartment that reads “caution radioactive material”

[@Damaraja]

Very cool. What a beast. Thx as always, B 🤙

[@russlora]

From 1:38:14 for a few seconds there I thought my Granny was back alive frying ham for weekend morning .

[@jessebreakspear6656]

awesome video! even for a total newb amateur like me the worse case of ADD ever I still managed to learn some theory and practical stuff.

[@Justarandomspacemonkey]

The owner of that amp is very lucky, great work man.

[@Damaraja]

That thing rips. Great vid, man. 🤙

[@fiddlix]

I’ll be there my friend..!!